It's been a long time since the CPU speed war was all about faster frequencies, a strategy that died when Intel retired Netburst in favor of its Core architecture. That same war is now fought by and large with cramming more cores into a single slice of silicon, and come 2012, AMD plans to launch a 10-core processor for enthusiast grade desktops. Are we ready for double-digit core counts?

That depends on what software developers are able to accomplish between now and then. As it stands, today's software doesn't make the most out of multi-core processors, though the situation is decidedly better than it was when the landscape was dominated by single- and dual-core processors. Ready or not, 10-core chips are en route, at least according to a leaked roadmap.



Chinese website zol.com.cn posted the confidential roadmap (click our thumbnail image to enlarge) outlining AMD's 2011 (what's left of it) and 2012 platform plans. Based on the roadmap, AMD plans to follow up the launch of its Scorpius platform in 2011 (which will culminate with the release of Bulldozer) with Corona in 2012. Corona will include "Komodo" CPUs with up to 10 Piledriver cores, Turbo Core 3.0, and a new socket dubbed FM2.

Corona also includes AMD's Hudson D4 FCH chipset with an upgraded southbridge that supports eight SATA 6Gb/s ports, RAID 0/1/5/10, ten USB 2.0 ports, and four native USB 3.0 ports. AMD's next generation discrete graphics -- Radeon 7000? -- will also be part of the platform.

In the mainstream market, the roadmap shows AMD's Fusion-powered Lynx platform being replaced by Virgo. This will consist of Trinity APUs with up to 4 Piledriver CPU cores, Turbo Core 3.0, DirectX 11 GPU core, and DDR3 support. Trinity chips will also utilize AMD's upcoming FM2 socket.

Sitting at the bottom is Deccan, the platform AMD will replace Brazos with. Deccan will feature Wichita APUs with up to 4 Bobcat CPU cores and an FT2 infrastructure.

Source:
Maximum PC | Beyond Bulldozer: AMD May Release a 10-core CPU in 2012